


home

by mintables



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Fluff without Plot, M/M, domesticity.........., let them be old... married..... gain a lil happy weight...... hold each other tenderly...., they just love each other so much i think that’s so important, this is just. cuddles. that’s about it, this is like... 20-something years post-canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:21:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22540894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mintables/pseuds/mintables
Summary: Much as he wanted to spend hours cataloguing every gentle curve of his husband’s body with his hands, now was not the time for that, really. Now was the time to hold, and be held, and find comfort in it as they always did.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Dedue Molinaro
Comments: 3
Kudos: 50





	home

**Author's Note:**

> 2:30 am is not the time to be posting fics u wrote in a stream of consciousness and are not awake enough to edit. fortunately i dont have a brain. also all of my fics are exactly the same in that they dont have a damn plot.... it’s just time for cuddles :) if im not writin dimitri like that one r/ambien guy who’s like mmmy wife is softand i like her. then im doin it wrong

Dedue felt like home.

He always had. Ever since they were children, empty and devastated and clinging to each other in the aftermath of the Tragedy, Dimitri had felt  _ right,  _ had felt  _ safe _ in his arms. Even in the academy, with the careful, aching distance placed between them, Dimitri had always felt the closest he had to a home was those nights it got too bad for either of them and they’d sneak into each other’s rooms like they had as children. Those nights, they’d find sleep pressed tight in each other’s arms, as if any distance would let the nightmares back in. Dimitri remembered vividly how he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep until Dedue’s breaths evened out, and he’d press his lips against his shoulder and hope it could bring him some modicum of peace.

Those nights became a memory he’d wished he could forget, those five awful years.

But that was over now. Dedue was safe, warm and real and so very alive, and it had been years since the war ended, years since there had been anything but peace. And even as he’d worked to rebuild the Kingdom, to restore Duscur and make reparations and build the future he’d always promised Dedue, the halls of the palace he’d known all his life still were not truly his  _ home. _

It was Dedue. It had always, invariably, been Dedue.

He’d sworn as much to him in their wedding vows- and goddess, that had been more than twenty years ago now, he thought fondly. It was still almost unbelievable, sometimes, that all this was  _ real. _

But they’d overcome so much together. They’d been at peace for decades. The worst was finally over.

More than  _ twenty years…  _ goddess, Dimitri hadn’t ever dreamed he’d get to grow old, hadn’t dared to hope he might get to do so by Dedue’s side.

The sound of the door creaking open shook him out of his thoughts, and Dimitri turned away from his work with a smile as his husband entered, that soft grin Dimitri loved so much already stretching across his face.

“Welcome back, my love,” Dimitri hummed, rising to meet him. Dedue sighed softly, bending to press a kiss to Dimitri’s forehead before shrugging off his cloak.

“It is a joy to be back, Dima,” he murmured, nearly unbearable fondness in his eyes as Dimitri moved to undo the buttons of his jacket, hands a little too shaky to truly manage. Dedue steadied him, though, and he leaned into the touch gratefully.

“Did the meeting go well?” Dimitri asked softly. He’d been caught up in paperwork, but Dedue had spent the last few days in negotiations outside the palace, and they’d barely seen each other. It was only a matter of organizing trade routes with Sreng, but after so long spent at war the task was large nevertheless. Beyond that, Isabel had started to sit in on meetings to get a look at exactly what she’d need to do upon taking the throne. Their daughter had only just graduated from the Academy, but she had been insistent, and well- neither of them had ever really been able to deny her much. She would be a good queen.

Amongst all that, though, they had barely had a moment to see each other.

Dedue smiled as Dimitri managed to undo the last button and slip his jacket off as well, hanging it near the door. “Well enough,” he said, taking Dimitri’s hands in his own. The touch- oh, he’d missed it terribly- was grounding. Home.

It was clear Dedue wasn’t up to saying more, and Dimitri was inclined to agree. It was terribly late. “Come to bed, love,” he said instead, bringing one of Dedue’s hands to his lips and brushing a kiss over the knuckles. Dedue hummed softly, letting his eyes flutter shut a moment. Goddess, he looked exhausted.

“Let me help you, my dear,” Dimitri murmured, reaching to tug at Dedue’s thick travel shirt before he had the chance to do so himself. Dedue raised an eyebrow.

“Dimitri, it is late,” he pointed out, but Dimitri shook his head with a smile that Dedue’s face relaxed instantly at. The unspoken communication was so natural for them, he almost wondered what things had been like before they could have whole conversations with a glance. But those times didn’t matter, really. They knew each other perfectly well now.

“Nothing like that, starlight,” he murmured, and Dedue smiled softly- they were long past the point such endearments could bring that familiar, pretty flush to his cheeks, but Dimitri had never quite let go of showering him in them. He just felt so  _ much  _ for Dedue, so much he was bursting with it; little endearments were the least he could do to show it. “I just… want to feel you.”

Dedue’s eyes went gentle at that, and he allowed Dimitri to smooth his hands down his sides and tug his shirt off slowly. He took his time, reveling in the feeling of mapping the soft, scarred flesh under his hands; he was always glad to have reminders just how solid, how real, how  _ there  _ his husband was. He wasn’t another ghost that would fade away. Dimitri could  _ protect  _ him. He could take care of him.

He paused a moment to just  _ look  _ at Dedue once he’d pulled his shirt off, a cozy kind of warmth blooming deep in his gut. He didn’t ever think he’d stop being a little awed by how lovely he was.

Dedue laughed softly, raising an eyebrow. “Dima…?”

“Sorry, love, I just-” he fought down the tight lump of emotion in his throat. “You’re beautiful.”

Dedue sighed fondly, eyes shining. “As are you.”

Dimitri swallowed his protest, opting instead to shake his head and spend another minute letting his eyes trail over his husband, over his body, perfect and real and warm. The peace had treated Dedue well. He’d allowed himself to relax over the years, to be taken care of, to indulge; Dimitri  _ loved  _ how his sharp edges had softened as, for the first time in his life, Dedue had allowed himself to be  _ happy.  _ He looked so  _ domestic  _ like this, so, so lovely, it always gave Dimitri a heady rush of warmth.

He’d softened, too, over the years, and while he couldn’t deny it was an exquisite kind of joy not to have to  _ fight  _ anymore, to have warmth and sweetness and good things in his life… well, he could not be blamed for being much more enamored with his husband’s body than his own.

That was it, really; he was  _ enamored  _ with Dedue. He had been since they were children, and it had only ever grown over the years, the sweet, burning love that even in the worst years he hadn’t once forgotten. He’d been enamored with the boy he’d known with the serious, haunted eyes and the achingly sweet smile, and he was enamored with the man stood before him now, the man he’d  _ married,  _ softer and settled and  _ happy  _ in a world that allowed him to be, but with that same smile never changing. He had always,  _ always _ felt like home.

“I love you,” he murmured, meeting Dedue’s gaze again. He burned with how much, always  _ would,  _ burned with the urge to protect, to care for, to  _ cherish  _ with every bit of his being. And goddess, he’d cherish Dedue with all he had for the rest of their lives, because he deserved nothing less. “I-”

He wasn’t sure when he started crying, but before he quite realized Dedue was brushing tears from the corner of his eye, and- oh. He blinked hard, leaning into the touch and pressing a kiss to Dedue’s palm. He did not say anything. He did not need to. They understood each other far too well for words to be necessary.

“I love you too, Dimitri,” Dedue murmured once he’d composed himself a little, tugging him forward and into his arms. “Always.” Dimitri sighed happily, fitting his head into the crook of his shoulder while Dedue pressed a kiss to the crown of his head. They stayed like that for a moment, content to breathe together, to share each other’s warmth.

Dimitri pulled back first, just far enough to press a kiss to a scar on Dedue’s jaw, softer now with age and with time. “Beautiful,” he murmured, before pulling away in earnest, just long enough to undress and retrieve one of Dedue’s old shirts; he’d taken to wearing them on colder nights years ago, and it had stuck. There was something comforting in the intimacy of it, in the scent of Dedue still ingrained in the fabric even though it likely fit Dimitri better than it fit Dedue, now. Goddess, they’d spent so long together, but he still felt like the pining teenager he’d once been sometimes over things like this. 

He supposed Dedue just had that effect on him.

Dedue’s hand on his shoulder shook him out of his thoughts, and Dimitri turned to him with a smile. “Bed, love?” he asked softly. Dedue hummed an agreement, pressing a kiss over his scarred eye. He’d taken to wearing an eyepatch when they were alone less and less these days.

He lingered for a moment, content in the easy warmth, before catching Dedue’s hand in his own and tugging him towards their bed. He had meant what he’d said earlier; it had been too long since they had truly had time together. He just- just wanted to  _ feel  _ Dedue, to hold him, to map every inch of him with his hands, his lips, as gently as his husband  _ deserved. _

Dimitri didn’t need to say anything for Dedue to guess what he wanted, and goddess, was he grateful for that. He exhaled softly as he curled against his husband the moment they were in bed, one of Dedue’s arms curling over his waist and sending warmth blooming over his skin. Still, right now he just- needed to be closer. Dedue had been so tired lately, and he just… wanted to take some of the burden off his shoulders. He wanted to let him forget.

Dimitri edged closer, glancing into Dedue’s eyes for a moment. Dedue smiled softly, gaze so, so gentle, and oh, Dimitri had never truly thought it possible to love someone this  _ much. _

“What’s good for you right now, my love?” he murmured, cupping Dedue’s cheek with one hand while the other made its way to his waist. He itched to trace the lines of each of his scars, to kiss away the knot of tension still tightening his husband’s shoulders. Their fears may have been long in the past, but some aches never truly left their bones, and Dedue had spread himself rather thin lately. Dimitri just… wanted to give him whatever support he could.

Dedue exhaled softly, eyes fluttering shut. “Just… hold me?” he asked, voice quiet. He still sometimes struggled to let himself ask for things, but… he’d come so, so far. They both had. Dimitri swallowed hard against the swell of warmth, of pride, of  _ love. _

“Always,” he murmured, and he meant it.

Dedue leaned in and caught him in a kiss, one Dimitri gladly returned, deepening gently as he moved the hand that had been cupping Dedue’s cheek to his waist instead. Dedue sighed softly against his lips as Dimitri ran his hands over the gentle curve of his belly, the softness, he thought fondly, a testament to the fact that he was  _ happy.  _ He thought the same of himself, really, and he was certainly a far cry from the skin and bones he’d been for those five awful, awful years.

It was just… nice. Nice to be able to indulge like this, to be soft and sweet and  _ domestic  _ with Dedue-  _ Dedue,  _ who deserved all the softness, all the sweetness in the world and then more.

Dedue pushed into his hands a little, wordlessly asking for more, and Dimitri was more than happy to provide.

Their kisses stayed chaste, lazy and slow with the assurance that they had all the time in the world, even as Dimitri’s hands dipped a little lower, tracing the lower curve of Dedue’s belly with a slow reverence. Goddess, he was wonderful.

He trailed his hands back up along a long, jagged scar over Dedue’s side, the movement slow, worshipful. He knew every inch of his husband’s body without having to look, knew this scar had been caused when Dedue took a thunder spell for him, and he’d never forgive himself for how slow he’d been to realize. By the time he had noticed the mage behind them, lightning was already arcing through the air and Dedue was pushing him behind him and-

But that was long, long in the past, and Dimitri knew Dedue would not throw his life away like that ever again. If there was one thing he was certain of, it was that he could always, always trust him.

He always made sure to pay special attention to the scar regardless.

Dedue sighed softly at the attention, melting against him a little, and Dimitri kissed him again, and again, and again, sinking further into his arms, closer, closer. Much as he wanted to spend hours cataloguing every gentle curve of his husband’s body with his hands, now was not the time for that, really. Now was the time to hold, and be held, and find comfort in it as they always did.

He nestled closer still against Dedue’s chest, until they were pressed as tightly together as possible. Warmth curling deep in his gut, he slotted a thigh comfortably between Dedue’s. Here, too, he was softer- everything was softer, really, warm and tangibly  _ domestic. _

Happy.

It was like this, tangled in each other, one of Dedue’s hands threading through his hair and the other idly stroking the scars on his back, that things were best. It was like this, Dimitri thought as their kisses were broken by Dedue yawning softly and he laughed, that he truly felt the most like home.

Dedue was warm, always. He was so, so warm, soft and perfect against Dimitri, his whole body relaxing as Dimitri nestled his head in the crook of his shoulder and pressed a kiss to his collarbone. 

“Love you,” Dimitri said softly, grip around Dedue’s waist tightening, and Dedue murmured a sleepy reply, breaths already evening out. Dimitri smiled against his skin, letting his own eye drift closed as Dedue’s hand stilled on his back. He’d never felt quite so safe as he did in Dedue’s arms, with warmth surrounding him and the steady rise and fall of his husband’s breathing lulling him towards sleep.

He’d heard a story, once, about how when the goddess first made mankind, they’d been made in connected pairs- two people, joined together, who completed each other perfectly. However, when her creations angered her she’d decided to split those pairs up, and left people wandering for the rest of their lives, desperate to find their missing half. Most, he had heard, never did.

Dimitri had never been one to put too much stock in stories like that, not really. But to be here like this, tangled so tightly with Dedue they might as well be joined, in an intimacy so natural for them it felt like breathing- well.

If the story was true, he had no doubt he and Dedue were two halves of the same whole. Soulmates, the story had said, and while once Dimitri may have been too jaded to believe such a thing truly existed…

He was at a point in his life he could start to believe again. If there was such a thing as soulmates, then Dedue was his. His light, his solace, his focal point, all this and more.

His  _ home. _

Goddess, he loved him.

Dimitri smiled against Dedue’s shoulder, safer,  _ happier _ than he’d once believed he’d ever deserve to feel, and let his own breathing match his husband’s slow, gentle breaths. In the morning, he thought as he drifted off, he’d take the time to worship Dedue properly, would kiss every inch of him no matter how long it took.

They had time.

They were home.

**Author's Note:**

> you may say gee it’s been 2 months since u updated beauty & the beast au this does not make up for it and u are right. i promise i will get back to that soon :’) twitter dot com slash ylissebian etc etc


End file.
